New York, March 07, 2012 -- The following release represents Moody's Investors Service's summary
credit opinion on Fifth Third Bancorp and includes certain regulatory
disclosures regarding its ratings. This release does not constitute
any change in Moody's ratings or rating rationale for Fifth Third Bancorp
and its affiliates.
Moody's current ratings on Fifth Third Bancorp and its affiliates
are:
Long Term Issuer rating of Baa1
Senior Unsecured (domestic currency) ratings of Baa1
Subordinate (domestic currency) ratings of Baa2
Preferred Stock Non-cumulative (domestic currency) ratings of Ba1;
(hyb)
Senior Unsecured Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa1
Subordinate Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa2
Junior Subordinate Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Preferred shelf -- PS2 (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Ba1
Fifth Third Bank, Ohio
Long Term Issuer rating of A3
Senior Unsecured (domestic currency) ratings of A3
Senior Unsecured Bank Note Program (domestic currency) ratings of (P)A3
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic currency) ratings of A3
Long Term Deposit Note/CD Program (domestic currency) ratings of (P)A3
Long Term Other Senior Obligations ratings of A3
Bank Financial Strength ratings of C
Subordinate Bank Note Program (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa1
Subordinate (domestic currency) ratings of Baa1
Short Term Bank Note Program (domestic currency) ratings of P-2/(P)P-2
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic currency) ratings of P-2
Short Term Other Senior Obligations ratings of P-2
Fifth Third Capital Trust II
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust IV
BACKED Preferred Stock (domestic currency) ratings of Baa3; (hyb)
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust V
BACKED Preferred Stock (domestic currency) ratings of Baa3; (hyb)
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust VI
BACKED Preferred Stock (domestic currency) ratings of Baa3; (hyb)
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust VIII
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust IX
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital Trust X
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital XI
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Fifth Third Capital XII
BACKED Preferred Shelf (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
RATINGS RATIONALE
Moody's assigns a bank financial strength rating (BFSR) of C to Fifth
Third Bancorp's lead bank, Fifth Third Bank. The bank is
also rated A3/Prime-2 for deposits. Fifth Third's ratings
are supported by its solid direct banking franchise in the US Midwest
and, to a lesser extent, in the Southeast, where its
market shares are more modest. Fifth Third's good capital position,
improved asset quality and healthy liquidity profile also provide rating
support.
Nonetheless, Fifth Third, like much of the industry,
faces earnings challenges from the protracted low interest rate environment,
slow economic recovery and regulatory pressure on fees and expenses.
We note that net income in 2010 and 2011 was supported by the release
of loan loss reserves, a benefit that will erode over time.
The bank's profitability challenges are incorporated in its ratings.
Rating Outlook
The rating outlook is stable.
What Could Change the Rating - Up
Meaningful pre-provision income growth that proves to be sustainable,
without adding incremental risk, could lead to positive rating pressure.
What Could Change the Rating - Down
Given the favorable trend in Fifth Third's credit metrics, as well
as its good capital and liquidity profiles, we see limited downward
rating pressure absent a significant strategic shift.
The methodologies used in these ratings were Bank Financial Strength Ratings:
Global Methodology published in February 2007, Incorporation of
Joint-Default Analysis into Moody's Bank Ratings: A
Refined Methodology published in March 2007, and Moody's Guidelines
for Rating Bank Hybrid Securities and Subordinated Debt published in November
2009. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
Although these credit ratings have been issued in a non-EU country
which has not been recognized as endorsable at this date, the credit
ratings are deemed "EU qualified by extension" and may still
be used by financial institutions for regulatory purposes until 30 April
2012. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the
Moody's office that has issued a particular Credit Rating is available
on www.moodys.com.
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the
support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive
rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt,
in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed
prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would
have affected the rating. For further information please see the
ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
Information sources used to prepare each of the ratings are the following:
parties involved in the ratings, public information, and confidential
and proprietary Moody's Investors Service information.
Moody's considers the quality of information available on the rated
entities, obligations or credits satisfactory for the purposes of
issuing these ratings.
Moody's adopts all necessary measures so that the information it
uses in assigning the ratings is of sufficient quality and from sources
Moody's considers to be reliable including, when appropriate,
independent third-party sources. However, Moody's
is not an auditor and cannot in every instance independently verify or
validate information received in the rating process.
Please see the ratings disclosure page on www.moodys.com
for general disclosure on potential conflicts of interests.
Please see the ratings disclosure page on www.moodys.com
for information on (A) MCO's major shareholders (above 5%)
and for (B) further information regarding certain affiliations that may
exist between directors of MCO and rated entities as well as (C) the names
of entities that hold ratings from MIS that have also publicly reported
to the SEC an ownership interest in MCO of more than 5%.
A member of the board of directors of this rated entity may also be a
member of the board of directors of a shareholder of Moody's Corporation;
however, Moody's has not independently verified this matter.
Please see Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions on the Rating
Process page on www.moodys.com for further information on
the meaning of each rating category and the definition of default and
recovery.
Please see ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for the last rating action and the rating history. The date on
which some ratings were first released goes back to a time before Moody's
ratings were fully digitized and accurate data may not be available.
Consequently, Moody's provides a date that it believes is
the most reliable and accurate based on the information that is available
to it. Please see the ratings disclosure page on our website www.moodys.com
for further information.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has
issued the rating.
Allen H. Tischler
Senior Vice President
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Robert Young
MD - Financial Institutions
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Moody's Disclosures on Credit Ratings of Fifth Third Bancorp